1 oz Mexican Silver Libertad Coins (BU & Proof)
The Mexican Libertad
The 1 oz Silver Libertad Brilliant Uncirculated coin was first introduced in 1982 and has been produced annually since its introduction. The coins are produced at the Mexican Mint, the oldest Mint in North America. Each year of release has varying mintages, typically much lower than other bullion counterparts, which adds to the collectability of the Libertad series.
These silver coins have been introduced in varied sizes and finishes, but the 1 oz Silver Libertad remain a classic choice for investors. APMEX has two exclusive labels with the most prestigious grading companies in the industry. The coat of arms label is an APMEXclusive® with NGS, while the green label is an APMEXclusive® with PCGS. The coat of arms label originated in 2019. The green label debuted in 2016 for gold and in 2017 for silver.
Another popular silver coin is the 1 oz Silver American Eagle, renowned for its iconic design and historical significance as the official bullion coin of the United States. While both coins offer a solid investment in precious metals, the Silver American Eagle carries the added prestige of being backed by the U.S. government, which may provide an extra layer of assurance for investors.
Mexican Silver Libertad Design
The Mexican Silver Libertad coins have featured the same design elements on the obverse and reverse since 1982. When the series was introduced in 1982, the Mexican Mint used designs from the Gold Centenario coin from 1921. The obverse of the coins featured Mexico's modern coat of arms from 1982 to 1999. This design includes a Mexican golden eagle in left-profile relief with its talons and beak holding a rattlesnake as the bird sits perched on a prickly pear cactus. Coins produced from 1982 to 1995 show the old angel design.
The original depiction of Winged Victory appeared on the reverse of the Mexican Silver Libertad in 1982. The design portrayed her figure in front-facing relief. She held up a wreath crown in her right hand with broken chains in her left hand. There is a notched-edge design element with the mountains of Popocatepetl and Iztaccíhuatl in the background field. In 1996, a new design was released featuring a new portrayal of Winged Victory. The design featured the statue at the top of the Mexican Independence Victory Column but now featured her image from a three-quarter side portrait instead, with greater visibility of the mountains in the background field.
The obverse of the coin features Mexico's coat of arms, with the design updated in 2000 to also picture Mexico's historical coat of arms. The reverse of the beautiful coin tells the legend of two star-crossed lovers, Princess Iztaccíhuatl and warrior Popocatépetl, who were turned into volcanoes by the Aztec gods, so they could finally be together. The angel of Victory depicted on the reverse was changed in 1996 to show a three-quarter side profile.
1 oz Silver Libertad BU Mintage Figures
The following are the mintage figures for 1 oz Silver Libertad BU coins, which began production in 1982.
1982 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,049,680
1983 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,001,768
1984 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,014,000
1985 1 oz Silver Libertad: 2,017,000
1986 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,699,426
1987 1 oz Silver Libertad: 500,000
1988 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,500,500
1989 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,396,500
1990 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,200,000
1991 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,650,518
1992 1 oz Silver Libertad: 2,458,000
1993 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,000,000
1994 1 oz Silver Libertad: 400,000
1995 1 oz Silver Libertad: 500,000
1996 1 oz Silver Libertad: 280,001
1997 1 oz Silver Libertad: 119,999
1998 1 oz Silver Libertad: 67,000
1999 1 oz Silver Libertad: 95,000
2000 1 oz Silver Libertad: 396,400
2001 1 oz Silver Libertad: 768,600
2002 1 oz Silver Libertad: 955,000
2003 1 oz Silver Libertad: 678,869
2004 1 oz Silver Libertad: 560,412
2005 1 oz Silver Libertad: 600,007
2006 1 oz Silver Libertad: 300,000
2007 1 oz Silver Libertad: 200,000
2008 1 oz Silver Libertad: 950,000
2009 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,650,000
2010 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,000,000
2011 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,200,000
2012 1 oz Silver Libertad: 746,400
2013 1 oz Silver Libertad: 774,100
2014 1 oz Silver Libertad: 429,000
2015 1 oz Silver Libertad: 901,500
2016 1 oz Silver Libertad: 1,437,500
2017 1 oz Silver Libertad: 636,000
2018 1 oz Silver Libertad: 300,000
2019 1 oz Silver Libertad: 402,000
2020 1 oz Silver Libertad: 300,000
2021 1 oz Silver Libertad: 613,000
2022 1 oz Silver Libertad: 550,000
2023 1 oz Silver Libertad: Current year
How Valuable is the Libertad?
Value depends on several factors including silver spot prices, rarity, demand, and quality.
Mexican Silver Libertad History
Originally, from 1982 to 1991, the Mexican Mint offered the Silver bullion Libertad in just 1 oz Silver. In 1992, the Mexican Mint introduced the 1/2 oz, 1/4 oz, 1/10 oz, and 1/20 oz coins to the series. In 1996, the Mexican Mint expanded the series to include the 2 oz and 5 oz silver coins. The latest addition to the silver bullion coins came in 2008 when the 1 kilo coin was introduced. The Mexican Mint has offered each of these weights every year since they were introduced, with a few exceptions. The exceptions include the 2012 1/20 oz Silver Libertad 2013 and 2014 1 kilo Silver Libertads, which were not offered.
APMEX MintDirect® Premier with PCGS FirstStrike® Mexican Silver Libertad Coins
This program began with the 2020 Silver Eagles but has now expanded to include other popular programs from trusted mints worldwide. This partnership with PCGS brings added value to the popular MintDirect® Premier products. MintDirect® Premier products in their sealed packaging will remain eligible for the FirstStrike® designation if submitted to PCGS for grading long after new FirstStrike®-eligible coins are typically gone from the market. Previously, coins had to be stored in sealed monster boxes in secure, PCGS-approved storage locations before the FirstStrike® deadline to qualify for this designation. Learn more about this exciting partnership.
